The Indianapolis Colts traveled to Texas to take on Dallas on Sunday Night Football. Before the game even started the Colts had moved into a Top 10 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. And depending on the outcome of the Monday Night Football game, they could move up to eighth.Â
Enough about the future and the possibilities it holds. The Colts were set to take on the best team in the NFL in getting sacks. Their rookie tackle was going to face one of the best young pass rushers in the NFL. This game was projected to be awful for the Colts. They played tough and were in the game for a little while. Then, it all went south in the second half. That included allowing the second-highest scoring fourth quarter in NFL history (33 points). Here’s a look at four instant reactions from the Colts’ ugly 54-19 loss to Dallas.
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The streak is back on
The Indianapolis Colts have now gone two consecutive games where they’ve entered halftime losing. Earlier this season they had this same streak. That one reached 11 games before it was finally snapped.
The firing of Frank Reich and Marcus Brady paired with the hiring of Jeff Saturday was supposed to stop this from happening. The team was supposed to get off to better starts. But there’s only so much the coaching can do.
The worst quarter in a football game
The Indianapolis Colts were clinging to a small hope that they could win. It was 21-19 in the third quarter with Dallas in the lead. Then, the fourth quarter started and it all went downhill in hurry. The Colts gave up the aforementioned 33 points in the quarter. If Dallas only scored points in that quarter they still would have won the game.
The Colts turned the ball over four times in the quarter alone. Matt Ryan threw two interceptions and fumbled away the football. Tight end Mo Alie-Cox also coughed up the football on a tight end screen that showed some promise. Each one of these turnovers led to a touchdown. You can’t win any game if you don’t take care of the ball.Â
Related: Matt Ryan’s disastrous performance spells the end of the Indianapolis Colts
The rookie reintroduces himself to the nation
Colts rookie wide receiver Alec Pierce had his best game of the season. And on his touchdown, we’re pretty sure he can be heard saying “allow me to reintroduce myself.” Ok, not really but prior to this game, he had been catchless in two of the last three outings.Â
He reminded every Colts fan just how talented he can be. And provided a reminder for fans to be drooling over his future. Pierce finished the game with four catches for 86 yards and one touchdown.
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The defensive player highlights for the Indianapolis Colts
The Colts made a shrewd free agent signing in the off-season when they agreed to terms with cornerback Stephon Gilmore. There were concerns that his health might be declining and part of that was due to his age. So far he’s been playing at a Pro Bowl level.
His stats may not be up there with some of his past seasons but his play has been right up there. And Sunday night, he got his second interception on the season to go along with two pass deflections and six total tackles.Â
In his first game back Kwity Paye had a decent game. He finished the game with nine total tackles, one sack, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit. He’ll look to build off of this performance in the next game.
Speaking of the next game, it will be after their bye week. The Colts head north to take on Minnesota. This is another game that shapes up to be a disaster for Indianapolis. The good news though, is that it won’t be on national TV. Plus, there’s the looming question of who will be the starting quarterback for the game.